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Stellantis Ownership Woes: My 2021 RAM Limited Dashboard Is Falling Apart at 58K Miles - Completely Bubbling and Peeling

mikesamson

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I’m hoping to get some additional insight—or at least add visibility—to the dashboard issue on the 2021 RAM Limited.

Before anyone jumps into a debate about Stellantis quality, here’s my background for context. I’ve owned 16 vehicles from different brands, and take meticulous care of every one, inside and out. After owning two Stellantis vehicles, they’re now at the very bottom of my list for dependability and overall quality. I know some owners have nothing but praise, while others will completely agree with my experience. This is just a honest opinion based on personal fact and experience.

I previously owned a 2015 Jeep JKU that was a total POS, constant interior and mechanical problems. After selling it, I wanted a full-size pickup. The RAM’s styling, V8, and tech drew me in, so I decided to give Stellantis another shot, assuming my JKU had just been a lemon. I bought this preowned 2021 RAM Limited with 49k miles, complete service records, and evidence it had been garage-kept. This time I even purchased a 5-year extended warranty, even though poor interior craftsmanship isn’t covered.

Around 55k miles, a noticeable bubble formed on the driver-side dashboard. A few months later another formed on the passenger side and began peeling badly. My research showed countless similar complaints. Here’s what I tried:
  • Stellantis Customer Care: They opened a ticket and sent a reference email, but offered nothing because my truck has “high mileage” at 58k—well beyond the factory warranty.
  • Two Dealerships: The first wanted a $180 diagnostic fee that would apply toward repairs only if the extended warranty covered it (it doesn’t). The second worked with me somewhat, offering to replace the dash for about $950 out of pocket, saying Stellantis declined responsibility because of the "high mileage".
  • #RamCares @RamCares on X: They didn't care.
Calling 60k miles “high mileage” is laughable—I drove a Toyota Tundra to 350k with minimal issues. For a truck that stickered at $70k, this is completely unacceptable.

I’d love to see Stellantis acknowledge the widespread dashboard failures, whether through a recall or a class-action settlement (though I’m not holding my breath). I genuinely enjoy the RAM’s design and features and hope this remains the only major issue, but Stellantis products will be near the bottom of my list next time I shop for a full-size truck.

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I’m starting to see that this is fairly accurate. Higher trims should mean better quality—but not with RAM, apparently.
It really is sad what they get away with and for MANY years having the issues, like the manifold and rear window and 3rd brake light just to name a few more known issues.
 
Every manufacturer has the same issue with leather dashes, it's not unique to Ram or stellantis in general.

Take it in be polite and ask for a Goodwill repair. They are aware of the problem, they replace mine. Many threads about this
 
Every manufacturer has the same issue with leather dashes, it's not unique to Ram or stellantis in general.

Take it in be polite and ask for a Goodwill repair. They are aware of the problem, they replace mine. Many threads about this
Thank you for the input, I did take the truck to two separate dealers. One offered about 30% coverage as a “goodwill” gesture because of the mileage.

As for the idea that every manufacturer has the same issues with leather dashboards, I have to disagree. I’ve owned multiple high-mileage vehicles and have never seen a dashboard fall apart this badly with only 58,000 miles. Once you’re into truly high mileage and years of exposure to the elements, that kind of wear is understandable—but not at this stage.
 
Also, with all this being said. The RAM service center
Every manufacturer has the same issue with leather dashes, it's not unique to Ram or stellantis in general.

Take it in be polite and ask for a Goodwill repair. They are aware of the problem, they replace mine. Many threads about this
How many miles did you have on yours when you got it replaced?
 
This is common on your model year and trim. Other years also. I have a 2019. Mine bubbled in the first year of ownership, less than 10000 miles. I was like you saying WTF. Mine was covered under the 3/36. They replaced the dashboard. The replacement is definitely made differently as this one has lasted 5 years with no breakdown. IMO no one has been able to identify what initiates it to happen, as in natural causes, glue, cleaners used, etc. It's a shame yours took so long to occur. I hope you find a solution to get yours replaced. It is so annoying and embarrassing.
 
This is common on your model year and trim. Other years also. I have a 2019. Mine bubbled in the first year of ownership, less than 10000 miles. I was like you saying WTF. Mine was covered under the 3/36. They replaced the dashboard. The replacement is definitely made differently as this one has lasted 5 years with no breakdown. IMO no one has been able to identify what initiates it to happen, as in natural causes, glue, cleaners used, etc. It's a shame yours took so long to occur. I hope you find a solution to get yours replaced. It is so annoying and embarrassing.
I agree, not a great selling point to whoever sits in this seemingly premium truck and asks "what the hell is happening to the dash?". Thank you for the input.
 
Thank you for the input, I did take the truck to two separate dealers. One offered about 30% coverage as a “goodwill” gesture because of the mileage.

As for the idea that every manufacturer has the same issues with leather dashboards, I have to disagree. I’ve owned multiple high-mileage vehicles and have never seen a dashboard fall apart this badly with only 58,000 miles. Once you’re into truly high mileage and years of exposure to the elements, that kind of wear is understandable—but not at this stage.

The mileage is irrelevant, it appears to me to be heat cycles, the adhesive and protectants used on the dash. As for other makes having the same issue, see this thread. Ferrari to Chevy has the very same issues Im on corvette forum as well, almost everyone with a 3LZ car has dash problems with many people opting for the non leather 2LZ trim. This is on C6-C8's
 
The mileage is irrelevant, it appears to me to be heat cycles, the adhesive and protectants used on the dash. As for other makes having the same issue, see this thread. Ferrari to Chevy has the very same issues Im on corvette forum as well, almost everyone with a 3LZ car has dash problems with many people opting for the non leather 2LZ trim. This is on C6-C8's
I realize this may come down to personal experience, but I’ve never encountered anything like this before. To be fair, only about half of the vehicles I’ve owned even had leather dashboards. Still, it’s frustrating after a lifetime of seeing ads boasting “Nothing Stops Ram,” “Built Ford Tough,” and “Like a Rock,” to find that my supposedly rugged American pickup can’t even sit in the sun without the dashboard bubbling and peeling.
 
Mine just started at 85000. Fir most of its life it was outdoors. Now that I have a garage, for the last year it has been inside. Left it out in the sin the other day, and WHAM!!!!. Bubbles. From what I have seen on here, the leather is glued to what looks like spray foam. I think that over time the foam breaks down and of coarse the glue fails and the leather pulls away from the dash.
I have ordered a dash rug, but am looking at used lower trim dash covers on E Bay and the likes.
Any thoughts?
 
A couple of updates: I filed a complaint with both the Better Business Bureau and Stellantis—not expecting much—and, unsurprisingly, received only a generic, copy-and-paste response from their representative, Jen.

I also visited a local auto-upholstery shop and got a $300 quote to wrap the dash in faux Alcantara or suede. At this point I don’t trust anything Stellantis, and I’m concerned that a replacement leather dash would just develop the same issues. The catch is that the shop won’t remove the dash themselves, so I’d need to have another shop disassemble it first. From what I’ve read, that’s a labor-intensive job and would likely be the bulk of the cost.

I’m checking with another shop this week to see if they can handle both the removal and the rewrap and what their full quote would be.

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A couple of updates: I filed a complaint with both the Better Business Bureau and Stellantis—not expecting much—and, unsurprisingly, received only a generic, copy-and-paste response from their representative, Jen.

I also visited a local auto-upholstery shop and got a $300 quote to wrap the dash in faux Alcantara or suede. At this point I don’t trust anything Stellantis, and I’m concerned that a replacement leather dash would just develop the same issues. The catch is that the shop won’t remove the dash themselves, so I’d need to have another shop disassemble it first. From what I’ve read, that’s a labor-intensive job and would likely be the bulk of the cost.

I’m checking with another shop this week to see if they can handle both the removal and the rewrap and what their full quote would be.

View attachment 206031

Its about a day and a half job.
I had the AC TSB done which requires the dash come out, that took 3 days.
When they good willed the dash, it took about 2 days. They told me about 8-10 hours over 2 days. You can buy the updated dash, better adhesive and more of it, for around $490-590. The cost with labor and parts is around $1400-2000 depending on the dealer.

I'd try to get a dealer to good will it see what option they give you on a percentage, there's too much risk in a none dealer incorrectly removing and reinstalling the dash and having rattles or creaks
 
Its about a day and a half job.
I had the AC TSB done which requires the dash come out, that took 3 days.
When they good willed the dash, it took about 2 days. They told me about 8-10 hours over 2 days. You can buy the updated dash, better adhesive and more of it, for around $490-590. The cost with labor and parts is around $1400-2000 depending on the dealer.

I'd try to get a dealer to good will it see what option they give you on a percentage, there's too much risk in a none dealer incorrectly removing and reinstalling the dash and having rattles or creaks
Thank you, great point.
 

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